1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to water well operations and, more specifically, to a Shot Perforator Device and Method for Water Well Bore Decommissioning.
2. Description of Related Art
At the end of the life of a water well, it is generally not desirable to simply leave the well as an abandoned hole. The fear is that fall hazards, source contamination, or terrain collapses may occur and so it is not uncommon to be required to decommission the well by some means.
In the past, wells have been decommissioned through a variety of unsafe and/or ineffective methods. These methods have included attempts to fill the well casing with sand or gravel or even with concrete or cement. The problem with filling the casing is that only the inside of the casing is being filled as a result of these approaches and the surrounding area around the outside of the well casing remains a void that can cause future safety issues.
A more recent example of a method for well decommissioning is shown in Turley, et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0128133. While Turley seeks to safeguard the abandoned well, it essentially uses a plug to do so. Although this approach will safeguard the top of the well for the purposes of falling hazards, it will not prevent cross contamination and future erosion of the terrain surrounding the well. What is needed is a system and method that will decommission a well and leave it in a condition that is safe from hydraulic cross contamination, erosion issues and fall hazards.